Monday, November 5, 2007

Morally Devoted To You...

Hello!! AWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW I ABSOLUTELY LOVE AUTUMN (tree at my parent's this weekend)!!!! It sure is the perfect time of year and the perfect time for change! It’s great to be back even though being back means being back to the daily grind. I’m still feeling great and I’m loving the way my body is reacting to me treating it sooooo kindly with my new organic raw diet!!! I seriously have never felt better, I think my body has been thanking me for years for my veg lifestyle but now that I’m not only vegan but eating organic and raw I feel that it’s rewarding me even more! You’re welcome body…enjoy! This diet isn’t only improving my health but my spirit too. I have been in the best mood ever for the past week…and I know it’s because I’m nourishing every aspect of my body in just the right way. I’m usually in a good mood and in high spirits, but I’ve just been so elated about EVERYTHING!!!! I really think that my good vibrations are making great things happen in my life, I received some awesome news at work today and it’s only 1 o’clock so my day is only going to get more fab!!!!

We were listening to the Vegcast pod cast from back in January of 2007 this weekend as we traveled to my ‘rents house, it was an awesome (as usual) interview with Gary Fracione a Law Professor at Rutgers who supports the abolitionist approach to animal rights. My animal rights platform is very in line with what they were discussing near the end of the pod cast. Though I have discussed health in my previous two entries and the health platform is sure to come up in future entries, I want you to know that is not my original agenda for animal rights or becoming vegan. All the interesting health aspects and environmental information are things that I have picked up along the way in my journey to harmonious living; the original spark was all about my moral stance. Professor Francione stated that despite the evidence and statistics of the health and environmental implications of animal rights very few people are able to grasp those concepts. He basically states that animal rights is a moral dilemma and if people aren’t moved by the moral implications it will be hard to get them to grasp the health and environmental links. The morality of it all is what pulled me in to the movement at 13 and it is definitely the thing that keeps me grounded.

We also listened to the pod cast with Dr. McDougall, a physician and nutrition expert who advocates a total plant based diet and even has his own healthy vegan cuisine line on the market (http://www.drmcdougall.com/). McDougall discussed how it is time to stop being polite and it’s time to start being more frank and speak the truth as loud as we can. As a doctor he has being advocating a plant based diet for years and is frustrated that people just aren’t listening to the FACTS or their own bodies. If board certified physicians are advocating a vegan diet and you don’t take their advice….who’s advice will you take??? I feel the same way; if people are offended and feel vegans are being morally superior it’s their problem. I get that all the time “you think you’re better because…” when in all actuality the people making that statement are the ones who feel that my diet/lifestyle is morally superior. Though I have never said anything about being morally superior, I am morally consistent with my values about all different realms of existence and eating a sentient being is definitely not morally acceptable. You can say you love animals, but what you mostly likely mean if you’re not vegan is that you love YOUR cat/dog. Really what’s the difference between your companion animal cat/dog and the cow that you served to your whole family for dinner last night? That’s right…THERE IS NO DIFFERENCE. Professor Francione talks about being morally consistent with your views and I know many people who are not. If you believe in peace and being environmentally sound then don’t eat animals and if you do eat animals don’t get mad at me for calling out your inconsistencies. Watch the documentary Earthlings if you haven’t, it’s visually intense and I don’t see how anyone can watch this video and not make a change in their lives. The moral implications run rampant throughout this documentary. You can watch it on Google Video, it’s a great learning tool and it’s not made by PETA, which makes it even better!

This weekend we went to Pangea an independent vegan store (has a huge online store too http://www.veganstore.com/) in Rockville Maryland. We had been wanting to go forever and finally did, it was very close and we will def be going again. They have a ton of random vegan products from food to make-up and household cleaning items. My favorite item I bought was this frosty blue nail polish and Lucas’ was probably his vegan belt! His old one was falling apart. Many people probably don’t realize how hard it is to find every day items like ties that aren’t made out of wool or belts not made out of leather (and not from sweatshops). We are constantly on the prowl for vegan items and we love it when we don’t have to plan ahead of time and order them online. So “YAY” for Pangea.

I will be out of town visiting my in-laws in Illinois from this Wednesday until next Wednesday so my posts will be sparse during that time. I might write one or two blogs while there if I find the time. When I get back I’ll definitely be writing about my experiences being “raw on the road”, which should be fun!!!

Today I have to post this article (http://www.psa-rising.com/books/walsh/first_chapter.html) from a book by Dr. Patrick Walsh and Janet Farrar. While researching my husband found this article from the book, What a prostate does: A Brief Anatomy Lecture. It is quite interesting as a whole, but I want to highlight this section:

“Lately, scientists at Johns Hopkins have begun exploring the relationship between the prostate and seminal vesicles. What we have learned from their work is that the saga of human evolution is also a story of two male glands-both of which produce fluid that makes up semen. One gland, the prostate, is prone to cancer. The other, the seminal vesicle, is remarkably free of it. In nature, animals that are carnivores-meat-eaters like dogs and lions-don't have seminal vesicles. The only animals that have both prostates and seminal vesicles are herbivores-veggie-eating animals like bulls, apes, and elephants. There is only one exception to this rule: humans. Men have seminal vesicles, too. In other words, man, a meat-lover, has the makeup of an animal that should be a vegetarian.”

It’s very interesting because this doctor doesn’t have an animal rights or vegan affiliation or agenda, but he too comes up with the common correlation that human anatomy is not that of a carnivore. Just some more evidence against the argument that HUMANS WERE MADE TO EAT MEAT and IT’S NATURAL…